Craig has a discussion with Eric Champagne, CIO of La Vie en Rose, and Benoit Simard, President of GoCo. They discuss the key challenges facing the retail industry, with a strong focus on La Vie en Rose’s digital transformation with the support of GoCo by TELUS. Eric Champagne highlights three critical challenges: the need for robust cybersecurity, the rapid evolution of technology, and the competitive workforce landscape. He emphasizes the importance of staying focused on maximizing the value of existing technology before adopting new solutions, dispelling the myth that IT is expensive, and encouraging IT leaders to get involved in the business.
Eric Champagne further details La Vie en Rose’s technological investments, including transitioning from on-premises systems to a fully SaaS cloud-based environment. The company has not only updated its ERP and point of sale systems but has also empowered the business units with more control over their technology. Eric credits GoCo for its role in ensuring connectivity in all their stores and managing all the complexity for them. “A one stop shop provider,” as he calls them.
Benoit Simard, President of GoCo, provides insights into the company’s role in the retail industry, offering managed network services, security, and unified communication. He discusses the technological challenges retailers face, such as supporting IoT applications, video analytics, and addressing cybersecurity risks. Benoit emphasizes GoCo’s unique position as a multi-carrier service provider and its ability to ensure faster, reliable connectivity, strong LAN/Wi-Fi infrastructure, and enhanced security measures. CEOs seeking digital transformation are advised to prioritize understanding their business’s specific needs, embrace modern technology’s value, and actively engage in their business operations to foster collaboration and success between IT and the business units.
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Featured during this interview:
- Benoit Simard, President at GoCo, Vice-Président TELUS
- Eric Champagne, CIO, La Vie en Rose
- GoCo by TELUS
- La Vie en Rose
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Background Music Credit: Hard Boiled Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
